Ricochet
by konoha-no-shisui
Summary: When Namikaze Minato and his wife sacrificed themselves that fateful October night, nobody could have guessed that a certain Sannin's intervention would change the course of fate. Raised by two Sannin, away from Konoha, how will Namikaze Shiki's life turn out? [Fem!Naru]
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer: **This is the first and last time I'll say this, but I do not own any characters, places or events related to Naruto, bar those of my own creation. No copyright infringement is meant in the publication of this story.

**Summary: **When Namikaze Minato and his wife sacrificed themselves that fateful October night, nobody could have guessed that a certain Sannin's intervention would change the course of fate. Raised by two Sannin, away from Konoha, how will Namikaze Shiki's life turn out? [Fem!Naru]

**Note: **As an avid Naruto reader, this is only my second attempt at an actual fanfiction, so please bear with me. Any feedback given would be much appreciated and would go a long way to improving my writing skills and quality. Regardless of that, please enjoy the story!

* * *

Prelude

* * *

At first, Jiraiya could not speak. A strange emotion welled in him, something he could not name, but that both warmed and frightened him. He simply gazed at the baby in his arms, so small and fragile. A little girl with the warm red hair of her mother, but the deep blue eyes of her father. He gazed at her in wonder, and all thought fled from his mind; every word, every sound, every syllable. All that he had left was a single thought, one that provoked a tender smile to blossom on his lips. _She's beautiful._

Looking up at him, bright blue eyes blinked lazily, sleepily. And Jiraiya was reminded of just how young she was. Mere days had passed since her birth, since her parents' sacrifice. To be so young and so alone in the world, his heart felt heavy to even consider it. She was cursed, stricken with a burden of the worst kind; loneliness. There was no mother to cherish her and love her, to sing her to sleep when sleep would not come. There was no father, to hold her and care for her, to raise her to be just as strong in both character and abilities as her parents were before her.

The life of little Namikaze Shiki would not be an easy one, of that much he was certain, and he could not stomach the thought of leaving her to it. He was not ignorant of the hate and prejudice of those who dwelled outside the tiny little room, screaming and crying for her death; she would have few allies, and few friends. Her struggle would be endless, and it would be hard. Truly, Jiraiya's heart wept for her, and the suffering she would endure.

Years ago, or what seemed like it at the very least, he had made a promise. When Minato—bright, brilliant, kind hearted Minato—had told him of his impending fatherhood, his entire being glowing with joy, Jiraiya had been proud. In many ways, Minato had been like his own child, in the respect that he had never had his own, and he had practically raised the boy from Genin to the brilliant Hokage he had become. Minato had asked him that day, to take care of his child, to raise her as he had raised Minato, should something ever happen—_the lives of shinobi were short, almost tragically so—_and Jiraiya had been powerless to refuse. He'd made a promise that day, to protect her and guide her in the times when Minato and Kushina could not, and he'd be damned if he broke that promise. He'd broken enough in his lifetime.

He was drawn from his thoughts as the child in his arms struggled, wrestling an arm free of the tight hold her blankets had on her. His eyes softened, and he smiled, an expression tinged with a keen sadness, as she reached for him, for her godfather. Unable to reach, she simply settled for grasping one of the long, spiky tufts of hair that dangled by her head. Her grip was strong, and he winced as she tugged, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Hey there kiddo," he winced, making no move to liberate his hair. "Strong grip you have there."

The child in his arms cooed, tugging once more. A high, squealing giggle came as she witnessed the man above her wince. And Jiraiya couldn't help it, his smile mirrored hers, despite the assault on his scalp.

"You look just like your mother," he spoke, his eyes on her but not really focused. "I bet your dad's jealous, wherever he is. He and your mother had a bet, you see. He was rooting for his own mini-me. Guess those Uzumaki genes are stronger than he thought."

Tugging absently at his hair, the child gazed up at him in turn, as if fascinated by his words. Blinking slowly, her azure eyes seemed to glitter in the light, shining.

"She has her mother's hair."

Jiraiya, to his credit, did not even flinch as the voice made itself known. Melting quietly away from the shadows that clung to the edge of the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen stayed where he was, regarding his student.

"I know," the younger shinobi stated, turning to regard his old sensei. His arm absently rocked, swaying the infant child, hoping to soothe her back into the slumber that she had been in before he arrived. He heaved a deep sigh. "Her seal is stable. It's a work of art, actually, far better than I expected. The brat really outdid himself on this one."

Hiruzen nodded. "I never doubted Minato-kun's abilities," he stated with conviction.

At his words, rather than looking proud or anything of the like, Jiraiya's eyes darkened. "But _they_ did, didn't they."

"You can't blame them," Hiruzen stated, his face looking a million times older than Jiraiya had ever seen it. "They lost people in the attack, whole families were torn apart. They just want to be sure it's not going to happen again."

Jiraiya's voice was hard as he spoke, his thoughts on Minato and Kushina again. "We all lost people, sensei. But it gives them no right to call for the death of their child. Minato wanted her to be regarded as a hero, not the demon he sealed in her."

"I know. And I'm doing the best I can."

"Well it's not good enough!"

Sarutobi stepped back slightly, in shock. He'd never heard his student raise his voice to him, not in anger. He looked at his student hard, taking in his haggard appearance. Jiraiya had been too far away from Konoha to help, and he had only made it back days after the attack; he had never even gotten to say goodbye. The guilty aura that clung to him was obvious.

Silence dwelled in the room for a long moment, broken only by the infant in Jiraiya's arms, who began to cry in surprise at the white haired man's anger. And as the cries began, Jiraiya looked down at her, eyes softening as he rocked her slightly once more, smoothing stray red hair away from her face.

"She's doesn't deserve this," he continued on, voice softer, not angry, simply sad. "Her life will be hard enough."

Hiruzen looked at his student for another long moment, the long silence carrying on, until Jiraiya finally managed to still the child's cries, offering her the newly beloved bit of hair. She immediately latched onto it, drawing it into her mouth this time, much to his student's dismay. Gazing at the two of them, it was like a lightbulb went off in Sarutobi's head.

"It doesn't have to be."

Jiraiya's eyes settled sharply on him then, daring him to speak once more. He had all but resigned to the fate of his goddaughter, knowing that there was very little that could be done to help it. The outside world had already heard the word of her new burden, and the death threats had already begun to pour in. He stared at his sensei until he continued.

"You're her godfather, Jiraiya," Hiruzen stated, watching his student stiffen slightly as the line of thought became obvious. "As Minato and Kushina's wills stated, you're her legal guardian now. The council can't interfere with that.

Jiraiya gazed once more into her deep blue eyes, taking in the way she smiled around his hair—and god, her smile was so much like her father's. All his doubts and fears surfaced in him as he looked at her. He didn't know how to be a father, that was supposed to be Minato's job. He was a travelling spy, a pervert, how the hell was he supposed to protect and keep this small child alive. He could barely keep himself alive some days.

He had made that choice so many nights ago, accepting the role of her godfather, knowing of the seriousness that being bestowed with that title brought. He wouldn't regret it, not for a single moment, but looking at the kid in his arms, he had half a mind to. What did he know of parenting? His own parents had died decades ago, when he was only nine years old, and his memory of them was fuzzy at best. He'd never had any siblings, or any children of his own, and his sensei had never trusted him on baby sitting missions. How was he supposed to look after a child?

But as looked at her one final time, grey eyes roving her face, taking in every detail of her, he quelled the whispers inside of him. She looked at him, eyes bright, and laughed, so bright and brilliant and happy. In that moment, he knew he couldn't let anyone crush that. In that moment, his decision was made.

"Okay," he answered finally, swallowing hard. "I'll take her."

Sarutobi seemed to relax at that, the tension that had filled the old man's shoulders slipping off for the moment; he seemed truly relieved. "Thank Kami-sama," he breathed. "I believe in you, Jiraiya. You can raise her, give her a far better life than she could ever have here."

Jiraiya scrubbed his face slightly with his free hand. "I don't know if I can," he spoke, looking quite aged himself. "Do I look like I know how to raise a kid?"

"Nobody knows how to begin with," Sarutobi spoke again, reassuring his younger student. "It took me three tries, and I'm still not sure I've got it right. But you'll never know if you don't try."

"You're exactly the same," Jiraiya stated after a moment, shaking his head. "Just as annoying and wise as ever."

At that, Hiruzen broke out into a small smile, his wrinkled face lighting up with humor as he laughed. "I'm your sensei. It's kind of my job to preach to you."

"Do you really think I can do this?"

"I know you can."

Jiraiya offered his sensei a bright, wide smile. "Thanks, old man."

Sarutobi rolled his eyes. "You're welcome, Jiraiya," he said, moving over to scoop the baby from Jiraiya's arms, gently prying her away from his hair. He hugged her to him, the child he had quickly become fond of. Just as soon as he had taken her, he was handing her back. "Just take Shiki and get out of her as soon as possible. I'll handle the council."

"Got it."

"Just," Hiruzen's face took an almost pained expression. "Just bring her back to visit some time, okay? Nozomi and I are rather fond of her."

Jiraiya's face turned rather lecherous at that, breaking away from the tension that had clouded the atmosphere. "Ah, Nozomi-chan," he reminisced, expression dreamy. "How is that lovely assistant?"

Sarutobi shook his head at that, his student had decided that he was rather enamored with the Hokage's dark haired, big busted assistant, who had served under Minato prior to himself. As far as he'd heard, whenever his perverted student passed through, he made a point of making a pass at the young Uchiha. Who, naturally, was not very receptive.

"You have until tonight, Jiraiya," he declared.

Moving Shiki higher in his arms, he waved an arm dismissively, rolling his eyes at his wizened sensei. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Me and the brat are gone."

And true to his word, Jiraiya disappeared from Konoha that night, a pack of diapers under one arm, a baby girl tucked into the crook of another. He had a baby to raise, and he expected to be far away from Konoha when his sensei announced that the Kyuubi's container was gone. That was one political shit storm he _wasn't_ going to dig himself into.


	2. An Unexpected Decision

**Summary: **An old friend helps Jiraiya make a decision, and Tsunade's fight or flight senses kick in.

**Note: **Sorry for the delay of this chapter, but after fanfiction lost half of it seemingly overnight (for reasons I'm still not sure of) it took some gathering of motivation on my part to try and rewrite the chapter over again. I didn't manage to recover all I did, and I simply decided to post what I had, rather than let you guys wait longer. So without further delay, here it is! The second chapter of Ricochet!

* * *

An Unexpected Decision

* * *

_[Shukuba Machi; Hi no Kuni]  
__[A week after leaving Konoha]_

Jiraiya had wandered through the countryside of Hi no Kuni for days, simply passing through, trying to figure out where to go from there. The baby in his arms was bipolar at moment, and was slowly driving him insane. For hours, she'd be a happy little girl, giggling and smiling, just playing with his hair. But some moments, just when he thought he was going to be able to sit down for an hour or two to relax, or that he was going to get some research done, she'd change; crying and squalling, her little face turning just as red as her hair.

He knew many women, but there were very few he was actually on speaking terms with. He could only recall two women that would even begin to (grudgingly) stomach his presence long enough to let him ask for advice. Women were good with these things, right? The women he had in mind may not be too motherly, but they would definitely know what to do.

"You're killing me, kid," he groaned.

The infant in his arms stopped crying for a moment, blinking up at him slowly. He dared hope for a moment that she would actually quiet down. But his hope was quickly shot to the ground as she opened her mouth and began squalling once again. It was so loud, he was certain even Kumo could hear her.

Jiraiya sighed, ignoring the irritated stares that followed him and his crying charge. "C'mon, stop crying," he pleaded, rocking her in his arm. "I already changed your diaper! What more do you want!"

The Gama Sennin groaned loudly, hiking the child up higher in his arms, ensuring he had a tight grip on her. Satisfied, he took off to the rooftops, where the civilians might be more likely to stare, but more out of intrigue than irritation. Cradling the child close to his chest, he darted towards their hotel, barely a shadow to those he passed by. Well, a crying, screaming shadow.

Booking it back to his hotel room, he practically flew through the still open window. Doing the only thing he could think of to try and stop the crying, he bit the thumb of his free hand, making a few half signs. Pressing his hand to the floor, the circle of ink and writing that appeared gave way to a small puff of smoke.

"Jiraiya-chan?"

A small purple and white toad stepped out of the smoke, smiling.

"Ma," he pleaded, scrubbing his tired face with his free hand, the other cradling Shiki. "You gotta help me."

As she took in the small bundle in his arms, the old toad's face grew into shock, and then into anger. "Jiraiya-chan!" she cried out loudly, her volume matching that of the young child's cries. "I thought your Pa and I taught you better than this! To become a father so young! You better have married the poor girl!"

Wincing at the combined shouts of Shima and Shiki, he flinched away from her yells. There were very few who could get away with talking down the the Gama Sennin, and Shima just so happened to be one of them. She and her husband, Fukasaku, had pretty much raised him and cared for him during his time on Mount Myōboku, and they were two of the few who dared shout him at or boss him around.

"I mean I thought we—"

"Ma, Ma!" he interrupted, stopping the toad's rants for the moment. "She's not my kid."

At that, Shima seemed to relax, breathing an audible sigh of relief. Hopping over to the bedside where Jiraiya had settled himself to get away from her, she gently pried the small child from his arms, holding her. Shiki was big enough to fill them completely, as small as Shima was. The old toad looked at her for a long moment, the child's cries stopping as she looked in interest at the new face.

"Ah, of course," Shima sighed at last, her lips curling into a smile. "She is little Minato-chan's, isn't she?"

He nodded, smiling sadly in turn. "Her name is Shiki."

"Namikaze Shiki," she mulled over the name, nodding her head appreciatively. "It's a beautiful name for a beautiful child."

Jiraiya agreed with that. With the genes that girl had, there was no way she wouldn't grow up to be a looker. Oddly enough, a small pulse of discomfort and anxiety pulsed through him at that thought, leaving him blinking for a moment. "She'll definitely have her mother's looks," he said finally. His expression quickly twisted, however, a cross between fear and discomfort. "If I can keep the little brat alive long enough. I'm not cut out for this parenthood thing, that was Minato's job."

Shima gave him a soft smack on the back of the head, her expression chiding. Jiraiya recognized the face for what it was, her infamous lecture scowl. He'd been on the end of it more times than he could count. She was one of the few people who dared talk down to him, and he'd always been powerless to snap at her for it. She was like the mother he'd lost so early in life, overprotective and overbearing, but with good intentions and a good heart; her advice was never wrong.

"Now you listen here," she commanded, though not without affection. "If you're going to take care of this girl, then you need to do it right. She's as much your child now as she is Minato-chan's. So it's time to shape up and be a good parent! You don't have to be perfect, and you don't need to stress the details, you've just got to do right by her."

Jiraiya looked at his hands, idly playing with his fingertips. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Find a nice girl to settle down with. Being a parent is hard, trust me, I've raised hundreds of little tadpoles to toads Bunta's size. It's not something you should do alone," Shima advised him. "How about that teammate of yours? Tsunade-chan? Such was always such a sweet girl, I'm sure she'd make a wonderful wife."

At that, the Gama Sennin practically face faulted.

If there was one woman in the world who he couldn't imagine raising a child, or being motherly by any means, it was his old teammate. And sweet? Sweet was hardly the word to describe her. Despite the fact that he'd pined over her for years, since their Genin days in fact, he was under no delusions when it came to her rather…abusive streak. The woman could shatter bones with a flick, and often did when irritated in the slightest, especially when it came to himself.

Definitely not mothering material, or wife material.

"She's pretty, too, and a good girl," Shima continued on, oblivious to the face that he wasn't listening. "I'm sure she'd be a great mother. It's a shame she never had her own children. I remember that boy, too, Dan? He was such a nice boy—"

Still, he thought, looking at the old toad cradling his goddaughter in her arms, perhaps she was right about something. Although Tsunade might not have been mothering material, she was an accomplished medic-nin and a good friend (and occasional sarcastic enemy). She may not have much experience with kids from a maternal standpoint, but she was more than qualified to advise him on how to keep his new found baby alive for a couple of months.

He'd had goldfish once when he was a kid, back when his parents were still alive. He'd won them at a festival, and had to plead and beg for his father to let him keep them, but he did. He'd fed them for exactly three days before he'd gotten bored with them, absorbed too much in the new Doton jutsu his sensei was trying to teach him. The fish hadn't lasted more than a week before his mother found them, floating upside down in their tiny tank, dead.

His parents (before they died, at least), and his team, had never let him forget that. The talks of what he'd be like with children had hounded him for years, and he was quickly discovering that although he was a little better in the respect of remembering to feed her, that fraction of difference was only so much. Perhaps Shima was right, Tsunade would be a good person to visit sometime soon. After all, the women was technically the only living relative of his charge, and therefore, there had to be some obligation there.

If he knew Tsunade well enough, and after all the years of their being a team, he was pretty sure he did, then he was certain that this was one favor she wouldn't be able to turn down. After all, her fondness of Kushina—her distant cousin, on her grandmother's side—was a poorly kept secret. Why wouldn't that fondness transfer onto her daughter?

"Thanks, Ma."

The toad broke off her absent minded rant, blinking at him. "Jiraiya-chan?"

The man grinned, flicking her a thumbs up. "I think I know what I need to do!"

And know he did. His first step? Track down his wayward teammate. Second step? Initiate plan, trick Tsunade into falling for the kid's cuteness (much like he himself had). His teammate had a resistance to cute things, something he hadn't seen in many women, but he was certain even her cold attitude would fall at the sight Shiki. Even his heart had been melted by the little girl, and in such a short time, too.

Besides, if he couldn't con her into it, there were other ways to go about convincing Tsunade. Albeit ways that would sap him of funds for a good month or two, but there were ways all the same.

* * *

_[Shukuba Machi; Hi no Kuni]  
__[The same day]_

Tsunade relaxed back into the warm, comforting embrace of the water. It swelled around her, the intense heat soothing her muscles. Hot springs were something she was quite familiar with, her own preferred brand of relaxation. A relaxation that—after long days of gambling, heavy drinking, spectacular losses and outrunning debt collectors—she needed desperately.

The chance to visit the hot springs was something she relished in now, as far away from Konoha as she was. Although her old village had some of the best hot springs around, the fact of the matter was, it was never worth the hassle of going to them. Especially not with her white-haired, perverted teammate prowling around them most afternoons.

Her mood darkening as she considered the thought her teammate and the way he had continued to try to peek on her over the years, she growled softly, reaching for the bottle of sake her assistance had dutifully brought to her side.

Leaning back against the smooth rock, letting water chase away any lingering discomfort, she looked over at her apprentice. Shizune had settled into the hot spring herself, and was calmly soaking. Tsunade was certain she was run ragged with all the little (and large) demands she placed on her, and she decided to allow her student her moment of relaxation, before they plunged right back into the gambling scene. She had a feeling in her stomach, something that suggested her luck was about to turn.

After a long moment of silence between the two of them, when Tsunade was just beginning to sink into that wonderful mix of sleepy yet elated intoxication, a heavy shudder overcame her. It started in the base of her spine, worming its way up her shoulders. Almost immediately, she hissed, stiffening. The sensation was familiar, and there was only one person who could make her react like that; a combination of distaste and irritation, without even seeing him.

"Shizune!" she barked out, scowling heavily; somehow, he always managed to interfere with her relaxation. "We're leaving!"

Her dark haired apprentice startled from her own relaxation in the warm water, turning incredulous eyes to her mentor. "But Tsunade-sama," she tried to appeal to the woman, whose honey eyes were narrowed. "We only just arrived, wouldn't it be best to—"

Tsunade didn't waste time trying to persuade her however, she simply vacated the waters, slipping her towel on with an almost unnecessary tightness, her eyes flicking around to try and find a presence that, as of yet, had not made itself known.

"My idiot teammate is in town," she replied simply back.

At her words, Shizune seemed startled, her own eyes flickering around. It was well known what kind of man that her sensei's teammate was, and his reputation for peeking preceded him. "Jiraiya-sama is here?" she asked, slipping out of the water, tying her own towel tight around herself. "Are you sure?"

Honey eyes turned to her for a moment, the raised eyebrow causing Shizune to blush at the tone of doubt in her own voice.

"I'm sure," Tsunade stated, turning to leave.

She made swiftly for the door, unwilling to be caught by her fool of a teammate. Whenever Jiraiya appeared in her life, he brought either terrible news, hectic trouble or some mixture of both. No, it was far easier to avoid him. She was under no delusions that he wouldn't track her down eventually, her own trail was glaringly obvious even to her—those debt collectors had started putting up posters and reward offers, after all—but she would at least make the man work for his find.

If he was in town, that meant she was more than certainly going to be out of it.

* * *

_[Tanzaku Outskirts; Hi no Kuni]  
__[A few days later]_

Almost a week into his search for Tsunade, and a certain Sannin had almost given up the search. He'd learned far too late that his teammate had trekked through the Shukuba while he'd been preoccupied with his new charge and his summon, and he'd missed her by only a hairsbreadth. Despite all those that chased after her, shouting about debts and money, nobody was quite sure where she'd disappeared to yet.

But if there was something he'd learned, it was that it took a Sannin to find a Sannin. And a Sannin they both were. So with a couple of days of reaching out to his sources in other villages, he'd managed to track down the woman. Or what obviously sounded like her. A blonde haired, big spender, with even bigger breasts—a detail that _nobody _forgot, especially not the the areas he'd heard that she was exploring.

So a few days after he'd initially started the search found Jiraiya leaping through the woods, on his way to Tanzaku Gai. He'd grown in confidence with Shiki in the past week, and he was no longer afraid to travel at shinobi speed with her, for fear of her breaking. Instead, the girl seemed to relish the whipping of the wind through her still short hair, laughing up a storm as they paraded through the trees together, quite a sight to behold for any curious eyes.

In fact, she was doing it now. The baby held to his chest by a thick cradle of cloth was laughing, her chubby fists playing with the panda toy he'd bought her. He didn't know much about children, not at all, but that was one thing he was most definitely sure of. Kids loved toys, no matter the age. And although he was quickly growing tired of the way the bear squeaked whenever she squeezed its paw (her grip far too advanced for someone so young; he'd have to get Tsunade to look into that), he couldn't help but smile at her childish squeals.

"You just hold on a couple more hours, okay, kiddo," he said to the child, a habit he was rapidly growing into. "Then you can meet Tsunade-baa."

His lips curled into a brilliant smirk at that. If he was going to be stuck with the duty of fathering the kid, then he would most certainly going to teach her a thing or two—he would teach her to call Tsunade and his sensei old, no matter how long it took. He could already foresee the delicious looks of surprise and shock on their face, and his amusement spiked as a result.

Reaching down, he ruffled the little spikes of red hair. "You and I are gonna have a lot of fun in the future, right brat?"

Shiki looked up at his voice, her big blue eyes blinking, and let out a high pitched, shrieking laugh.

As he hopped towards the city, the trees they flew through flitting past at the pure speed, Jiraiya took that as a definite yes. He couldn't help but grin. Maybe, if he was lucky, he would be able to rope Tsunade into caring for the kid, even if it was just a little. After all, every man needed a break to get a little "research" done.


End file.
